Danish Daidenjin

You probably have absolutely no idea how obsessed I am with vintage robots. This is probably a good thing, since it borders on the obscene. Like many of my 30 something man-child friends, I covet, hoard and display with unabashed glee a collection of my 70′s upbringing.

I mean I can absolutely say ” I collect these for their design qualities” and keep a straight face. Mainly because that is a true enough statement. But oh, below the well kept surface smile, lives a disturbing obsessive collector who will take a extended layover on his next business trip just so he can spend three hours in Tokyo’s vintage toy shops and drain a bank account without apology.

As luck would have it, my girl is also slightly disturbed and collects a few of the same overlapping totems. I count my blessing because there are many of my friends in this hobby who do not have such a luxury.

So I look at this photo as an intro of sorts. A gateway to what might be more personal posts about my lifelong affair with the absurd art objects that are vintage Japanese character tins.

This Daidenjin zenmai tin from Popy was made in 1980. It is among the very last of the wind ups produced by the company, making it like many late bloomers, low in numbers and difficult on the wallet. But pieces like this are not even really about the cost,as they are about even finding one in this condition in the first place. This toy represents 6 years and 2 lost auction attempts, making you want it more, like the cute punk girl in high school who you never got to date because she made fun of your Smiths shirt.